The past is relevant
by Cuppy
Summary: [ON HOLD] James is noticing changes in Lily. She denies it. But something's up. What is it? And will romance come unexpectedly?
1. An ass

Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. You could say the plot is though...  
  
A/N: I'm exploring different couples at the moment and this is my next one.  
  
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Lily sat at her desk, clutching her quill angrily. Why did that Potter and his friends always have to embarrass her? They were the same house, Gryffindor, but it didn't seem to matter.  
  
Just because she got Head Girl and he had gotten Head Boy, a first in Hogwarts history, didn't mean that he had to get all cocky about it!  
  
As the portrait opened, Lily glanced up to see James in the doorway. His dark unruly hair was out at all different angles and his piercing green eyes sparkled. His eyes were what Lily was in love with, the sparkle of them and their dimension.  
  
She hated her appearance, green, dull eyes with straight red hair.  
  
"Lillian?" James asked.  
  
"What?" she snapped.  
  
"I'm sorry," he murmured. Lily started.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm sorry. You shouldn't be called a smart ass because you like to work and we like to flunk it," James replied. Lily looked at him.  
  
"Whatever you're on about James Potter, you had better stop it!" she snarled. He walked over to her, casting a shadow across her work. Scowling, she turned to look up at him.  
  
"Maybe Sirius was right though. Remus too. Maybe you are just a smart ass that isn't worth talking to. But something isn't right with you Lillian, something I can't pick. You're different this year, more irritable. But one thing's the same. You're still pretty," he commented before walking off. Lily gazed after him. Pretty? No, he was talking about someone else. He had to be. But he had been talking to her.  
  
Lily slumped over her work before drifting off to sleep.  
  
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When Lillian woke up it was dark outside. The Common Room was alight with lamps casting shadows across everything. Lily glanced at her watch and swore silently, hurrying down to dinner.  
  
She opened the doors and strode quickly to her seat before picking over the leftovers. Lily ate enough to satisfy her hunger but she could have easily eaten more. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were all laughing and joking at the top of the table. Occasionally James would make some gesture and they would all hoot with giggles.  
  
Lily sighed. She didn't really have any friends.  
  
"You ok, Lil?" Rebecca asked. Lily just nodded.  
  
As soon as dessert was over, Dumbledore stood up.  
  
"At the finish of the meal you will all go back to your Common Rooms. I wish to speak to the Head Boy and Girl beforehand. Do not worry, students, nothing is happening that is dangerous. There just will be some occurrences and organising tonight for certain things and we don't want to spoil it for you by letting you know what it is now do we?" Dumbledore joked. Many of the older students smiled weakly knowing what he was talking about. Voldemort, a feared wizard, was beginning to rise. He seemed to be only afraid of Dumbledore but that didn't help anyone.  
  
As Dumbledore began to dismiss the students, James stood and meandered up to the teachers table. Scowling, Lily pushed herself out of her chair, wincing slightly from her aching legs. As she walked up there she noticed many of the teachers were actually leaving. The girl frowned in puzzlement, but figured something else must have been happening. McGonagall and Dumbledore were the only two that stayed.  
  
"Ahh! Miss Evans! Thank you for coming! Sit, sit. We have much to discuss," Dumbledore began.  
  
"What have you called us up for, Professors?" Lily asked politely.  
  
"We have disturbing reports that the pair of you are not getting on. We also need to talk about the Halloween ball," McGonagall said slowly. James' eyebrows lowered angrily and he turned his eyes to Lily. Lily, however, just smiled pleasantly.  
  
"Well, where do we start?" Lily inquired.  
  
"With you and Mr. Potter, Miss Evans," Dumbledore replied. "What is the apparent problem?"  
  
"Something's different about Lillian this year," James began. "It isn't just that she's Head Girl, she's more irritable. We just don't seem to get on about anything. Even just a civilised conversation is a struggle now."  
  
"Only because you call me names!" Lily snapped.  
  
"Miss Evans, please. Allow Mr. Potter to finish," Dumbledore said kindly. Lily stood up, eyes blazing angrily.  
  
"Nothing is different! Nothing! The only thing is that I am Head Girl and he's Head Boy, which is a problem because he then gets to call me more names! I'm not going to stand for the fact that 'something's different' because there isn't anything! Just him!" Lily yelled. James flinched at her words. However Dumbledore and McGonagall looked at each other triumphantly.  
  
"What have you to say Mr. Potter?"  
  
"That what she says is true. I do call her names, but she needs to lighten up sometimes," James told Dumbledore quietly.  
  
"Lighten up! Pah! I need to lighten up by being called a smart ass! That isn't going to work, haven't you realised?" Lily retorted angrily. James looked at her, his twinkling green eyes nearly making Lily's knees melt.  
  
"Lily, honestly. Something is different."  
  
Lily sank into her chair, tears threatening to overflow. She grabbed a knife that was handy and clenched it so hard her knuckles went white.  
  
"What is the matter, Miss Evans?" Dumbledore questioned anxiously.  
  
"I'm frustrated, Professor. Isn't that obvious?" Lily snapped. Realising what she had said, she dropped her knife and ran.  
  
Her footsteps echoed around the hall as she sprinted to go outside to the lake. James looked at his Professors who were looking slightly annoyed and frustrated themselves.  
  
"She doesn't mean it," he tried earnestly.  
  
"I know. But she has some problem, I agree," McGonagall responded. James nodded and excused himself, chasing after Lily.  
  
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"Stupid Lily! Stupid Lily! Stupid Lily!" Lily screamed at herself. Why would she lose her patience with the Headmaster, of all people!''  
  
The doors opened as Lily fell into a small, crumpled heap, tears breaking their banks. She sobbed into her hands before she felt a warm hand on her back and another on her wet fingertips. Looking up, Lily tried to frown at James.  
  
"Lily, don't cry. Don't worry about that...that mess. Look, you have to admit that something is different though. You never snap at a teacher, never. Come on, what's different?" James questioned quietly. Lily cried into her hands.  
  
"Can't you just drop it and leave it?"  
  
"No."  
  
Lily looked up at him, her eyes wet. His eyes looked at her, concerned, and Lily focused on him.  
  
"James..."  
  
"You know my name?" James asked, feigning shock.  
  
"Shut up. I'm just...I'm just having family troubles," Lily confided. James rubbed her back and lent his head onto Lily's.  
  
"Lillian?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Would anything change if I said I love you?"  
  
Lily gazed at him.  
  
"Probably not."  
  
"Well then. I love you."  
  
Lily started slightly, her eyes still connected with his green ones. Something in them showed the truth, showed earnest and trust. He lunged forward, connecting their lips. Lily pulled off though, turning her head to the side.  
  
"Don't make this into something it isn't!" she cried.  
  
"I'm not!" James replied.  
  
"Bull!" Lily yelled before jumping up and running back to the castle. James watched her dark shadow travel further and further until it disappeared inside.  
  
He glided a finger across his lips, an unfamiliar taste there. An unfamiliar taste he liked. He just wished that Lily felt the same way about him and that they could stop bickering. Life would be as sweet as his lips if that were the case.  
  
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A/N: Ok, well that was the first chapter! I had a lot of trouble writing it because of the fact that we don't know heaps about 'The Past' in Harry Potter. It never says that Lily has friends or that she doesn't so I made her like she wasn't hugely a 'friend fan' (sounds like me...scary!). Anyway, I set up the scene somewhat with them fighting and it included Voldemort, (anyone know how long that James and Lily were out of Hogwarts before Voldemort fully rose? Just thought I'd ask!).  
  
So, all reviews greatly accepted but if you don't want to review then please continue on to the next chapter! 


	2. Ignored

Disclaimer: This plot is mine,  
  
Not used all the time,  
  
J.K. Rowling owns the Potters,  
  
Also the teachers and friends,  
  
If I said this was mine, I'd face a fine!  
  
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As Lily woke the following morning, she became aware of what James had said to her the previous evening.  
  
"I love you. I love you."  
  
It had repeated so many times in her dreams it sounded like a broken record. She couldn't even remember now what the scene had looked like.  
  
Showering, changing and then buckling up her shoes, Lillian faced the day, her jaw set and her eyes dancing with a familiar flame.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"I told her," James murmured to Sirius at breakfast.  
  
"You what?" Sirius cried. Everyone in the hall looked at the pair. Blushing profusely, they continued in hushed tones.  
  
"I told her, Lily, that I loved her," James repeated. Sirius raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Well, hope you did the right thing, mate. But you've got about as much chance with her as me being killed by a Death Eater from Voldemort!" Sirius joked (A/N: See the pun? OotP, you should read it if you haven't already). James flinched slightly at the mention of the dark wizard. He looked up from his yoghurt to see Lily sit down between Rebecca, Molly and Ethan. Molly and Ethan were together and Rebecca was Ethan's older brother.  
  
Lily glanced up and caught James gazing at her. She cast him a withering glance and went back to eating. James didn't have time to think about that before a flutter of owls burst from all angles. The flurry of them managed to deliver a newspaper smack bang in the middle of James' yoghurt and Lily received a letter.  
  
James watched as Lily opened up the sheaf of parchment, flitted her eyes across it and visibly paled. James frowned but went back to the Daily Prophet. Leafing through it, he exclaimed: "Nothing's happening!" causing everyone to look at him again.  
  
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The first subject for James was Potions, Lily had Transfiguration. Separating, James clambered down to the dungeons, trying not to think of the dreaded teacher, Snape.  
  
"Class. Refer to page sixty-six today. I will retrieve your ingredients and then you will follow me to the Transfiguration room where you will make your potion in the corner under the supervision of Professor McGonagall. I have some things to refer to today so I will not be taking you," Snape commanded. The Slytherins' scowled angrily but the Gryffindors' beamed.  
  
Gathering up his equipment, James followed behind Sirius, nudged Remus a few times and glared at a few of the Slytherins'.  
  
Snape knocked on the door and then opened it, filing quickly down the familiar stairs.  
  
"Quickly!" he barked. A few students stumbled down the stairs and then set up their cauldrons and opened to page sixty-six.  
  
Snape vanished outside as McGonagall unfurled a large piece of parchment.  
  
"These are the people you will be working with for your Potions. My Transfiguration class will also be mingling with you lot because I can't look at one group and the other. Refer to this to see who you are with," McGonagall informed them. James walked up to the parchment and scanned for his name.  
  
"Oh no," he groaned to Remus.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm with Lil," he replied. Remus smirked and tramped back to his cauldron to be joined by Rebecca. James turned back to his cauldron and saw Lily pale at her name next to his. Scowling, she strode over to him, glanced at the text book and started preparing for the cookery of the potion.  
  
"Hi," James attempted. Lily frowned, looked around like she had heard something, shrugged and returned to her grinding of the unicorns' horn. James could have hit her had he not managed to just contain his temper.  
  
"Can't we just talk?" he asked.  
  
"Oi, Rebecca! You hear something?" Lily questioned the girl. Rebecca looked up at Lily and then glanced at James' annoyed face and shrugged, pointing behind Lily. Lily turned but seemed to look right through James.  
  
James clenched his fist at his side, glaring at Lily. Lily finally raised her gaze to meet his eyes and not only paled further but dropped her bowl, fear filling up her eyes.  
  
"Lillian? What is it?" McGonagall asked from across the room. Lillian cast a fleeting at McGonagall before sprinting out of the classroom. The entire class looked at her while James just had a look of pure concern and bewilderment.  
  
"What did you do?" Molly cried.  
  
"Nothing," James responded honestly. "I don't know what she's on about." Molly raised an eyebrow before returning to her potion.  
  
"Mr. Potter!" McGonagall called for the fifth time. James turned and jogged over to her.  
  
"Yes, Professor?"  
  
"Catch up to Miss Evans, please. I would like you to talk to her," the Professor instructed him quietly.  
  
Nodding, James sauntered up the stairs before running after Lily's shadow down the hall. Being a Seeker, he was extremely fit.  
  
He followed Lily outside where she sat down at a tree and burst into tears.  
  
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A/N: I'm getting many reviews lately saying that I should leave the characters alone. Well, I'm afraid that it isn't going to happen because this is called 'FanFiction' making you make your own stories. Other than that, see you next chapter! 


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